Paradise in Darkness
by AmutoForever
Summary: Romance/Friendship/Adventure/Fantasy When Hinamori Amu falls into Hell, she has to ask for help from a wide variety of people in order to get out. However, they won't offer help for free, and somehow she's been roped into travelling with a group of odd people. Along the way, she'll find all sorts of things. From secrets, pasts, love, friends, and much much more.


The balcony was illuminated by soft glowing lamps scattered along the rails. It provided a gentle and soothing atmosphere; the view of the night sky dotted with twinkling stars added on to the tranquility. The only noises that broke the peaceful silence were the occasional hooting of an owl and the sound of a pen gliding over the smooth surface of fine paper.

Amu Hinamori paused for a while; she lifted her arm and dipped the tip of the quill into the ink pot before continuing to write, her golden eyes scanning the words wearily. After a while, she set her pen down and cleaned it with a careless wave of her hand. Straightening her back, she flicked her shoulder-length pink hair to one side and scanned the paper. When she was satisfied, she called out, lacing her voice with magic. Within a few seconds a maid appeared. The maid slid open the glass doors and gave a curtsey to the young girl.

It was, after all, only polite to do so in the presence of a noble. Amu Hinamori was from a family of magicians that had risen to fame from the past few centuries. Amu's mother was also an editor of a famous magazine: Spell Casters Monthly, and her father was a photographer of things related to magic. They were both excellent in magic and although they did not flaunt their skills, everyone knew that they were supernaturally powerful.

However, very little news about their daughter was disclosed. Rumours indicated that she had shown no signs of being talented in the art of magic. In order to prove that the rumours were untrue, Amu was travelling to the Ethyrzuhl Springs, which were full of magical energy, to develop her powers. Still, it was merely a rumour, and such a claim could not be valid.

The maid accepted the letter, gave a curtsy once more, and ran off to deliver it into the postbox. Amu sighed and stood up from her chair. She walked to the side of the balcony, leaning on it tiredly. Taking a glance behind her, just in case the maid was still in the room - the glass sliding doors showed that she was not - she nervously conjured up a small amount of magical energy.

"Light!" the young girl whispered.

Her long arms reached out into the night sky, taking in the energy of the air. She attempted to make a small orb of light appear before her and soon enough, a faint glowing ball appeared. Amu went on to magnify it, but it had frizzled out.

A very un-noble sigh was heard from her. In exasperation, she leaned against the rail and glanced up at the starry night sky. The maid should be returning soon - the postbox was just at the end of the hotel's hallway - and upon her arrival, Amu could finally crawl into bed. It was a simple procedure: waiting for the maid to be acknowledged by her before she fell into a deep slumber.

As she waited, Amu gazed up at the sky. She tried to find constellations that she knew in the dark sky, her pink hair fluttering gently in the night wind. A sigh escaped from her cherry-red lips as the breeze caressed her cheeks.

And then she felt something grab her throat.

Immediately, her eyes opened wide in alarm and her hands clawed at the object constricting her throat. It felt long, thin and whip-like; at the moment it was squeezing her neck tighter with each passing second. Amu tried to scream, but it was to no avail. She yanked against the tentacle, her legs trying to secure a firm grip on the balcony.

The unknown object lifted her up and quickly pulled her over the balcony. Amu squirmed, one hand grasping the rails, the other still yanking at the tentacle-like article around her neck. Suddenly, it gave a huge jerk, and Amu was flung off the balcony.

For a moment, she was suspended in mid-air. The whip then executed a sharp pull and she plummeted down the twenty-five storey building. She could have sworn that she heard a soft, "Miss Hinamori?", but then again, it could be her frightened mind playing tricks on her.

Her eyes, full of fear and shock, saw a gaping hole of darkness fly up to swallow her, and then everything turned black.

* * *

The maid slid open the glass door, giving yet another curtsey. But when she looked up, Amu was not there. She was supposed to ensure that the maid had delivered her letter! Despite trying, the maid could not feel Amu's magical presence anywhere. Where had she gone to? Lining her voice with feeble magic, and hoping Miss Hinamori might hear her, she called out gently:

"Miss Hinamori?"

* * *

**Okay, so this is a story I've been working on for a while. I must really thank candycloud8 for helping me with it, she's awesome... Like, seriously. All my thanks go straight to her.**

**Anyway, this is the prologue of the story, so it's a bit short. My other chapters will definitely be longer. After so much procrastinating, this story will finally be on FF... I'm so happy.  
**

**This story is veered towards adventure, friendship and romance. Amu, Tadase and Ikuto are the main characters. I'm not sure how many chapters it will be, but I'll definitely finish this story, although I may be a bit slow.  
**

**If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed or favourited my previous stories. It makes me really happy to see that I've got a review or a favourite! ^_^**

**P. S . I'd like to have a different title for it. Any ideas?  
**

**AmutoForever  
**


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